16 October 2025
Book Presentation: YIVO and the Making of Modern Jewish Culture by Cecile Esther Kuznitz
The Science and Encyclopedia Publishing Center of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, in collaboration with the Judaica Research Center, is pleased to announce the publication of Cecile Esther Kuznitz acclaimed monograph’s “YIVO and the Making of Modern Jewish Culture: Scholarship for the Yiddish Nation” translation into Lithuanian - „YIVO ir moderniosios žydų kultūros kūrimas: mokslas jidiš tautai“.
The book presentation will take place on October 21 at 6 p.m. in the Conference Hall (5th floor) of the National Library. The event will feature the author, Dr. Cecile Esther Kuznitz, Professor of History and Director of Jewish Studies at Bard College; Dr. Laimonas Briedis, cultural geographer and Vilnius researcher; and Dr. Jolanta Mickutė, scholar of Eastern European Jewish history. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Lara Lempertienė, Director of the Judaica Research Center.
Originally published in English in 2014, YIVO and the Making of Modern Jewish Culture is the first comprehensive history of YIVO, founded in Vilnius in 1925. As the only in-depth study of the institute’s activities in Vilnius before World War II, the publication of its Lithuanian translation marks a long-awaited and significant cultural event.
In her monograph, Dr. Cecile Esther Kuznitz explores YIVO’s mission, the decision to establish the institute in Vilnius, and the significance of Yiddish language studies. She highlights the contributions of the collectors (Yiddish: zamlers) who helped build YIVO’s vast archive through their ethnographic and historical fieldwork. The book also examines the complex relationship between Jewish cultural and political life and offers an insightful analysis of the phenomenon of diaspora nationalism.
Dr. Cecile Esther Kuznitz is Associate Professor of History and Director of Jewish Studies at Bard College. She graduated with honors from Harvard University and earned her doctorate from Stanford University. Her scholarly work has appeared in The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe (2008), The Encyclopaedia Judaica (2007), The Worlds of S. An-sky (2006), The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies (2002), and Yiddish Language and Culture: Then and Now(1998). She has also taught at Georgetown University and held research fellowships or internships at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Oxford University, and the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
The publication of this book is especially significant as it coincides with the 100th anniversary of YIVO. In collaboration with Lithuanian and international partners, National Library has a program of events to mark the centenary, with the release of this important volume as one of its highlights.
The book was translated from English by Olga Lempert. The scientific editor is Dr. Lara Lempertienė, editor – Rasa Lajienė, and book designer – Saulius Bajorinas.
The publication of the book is partly funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.
Briefly about the event
- Date
- 21 October
- Time
- 18:00
- Place
- Conference Hall, 5th floor
- Duration
- 1,5 h
- Attendance
- free
- Organiser
- Judaica Research Centre of the National Library of Lithuania
- Important
- the event may be photographed and/or filmed
the event will be held in English - More information
- „Facebook“
